Hyoton no Naruto
by Ferm
Summary: A simple decision has far reaching consequences. Kushina's Older sister becomes the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi. Six years later, her home is destroyed. Forced to relocate to Kiri, how will the future change for a certain blond haired ninja? fem!Haku, AU, kirinin!naruto, older!naruto . Indefinite Hiatus
1. Divergence

**Hyoton no Naruto**

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_Summary: A simple decision has far reaching consequences. A father refuses to have his younger daughter be made a jinchuuriki for people who she doesn't even know_ _, resulting in Kyuubi being sealed in her older sister.__ A decade later her home is destroyed. Forced to relocate to Kirigakure, what will be the outcome of this change on the ninja world? What will the future hold for her blond haired knuckleheaded son?_

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So... This is my first story. I don't know how long it'll be or what the pairing for the story will be or if there'll even be a pairing. I will add that according to the flow of the story.. I got the inspiration from **Hamp24's "Naruto of the mist"** and another one whose name escapes me at the moment. This will be a Naruto born in Kiri fic. Naruto doesn't have ANY sentimental ties to Konoha. He will be of Itachi's age. Another thing is that I always pegged Haku as a female (despite evidence otherwise), so here Haku is a female. Anyways.. ON WITH THE STORY!

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto Manga or Anime. That honour belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and his associates, if any._**

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**Chapter 1: Divergence**

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**Uzushiogakure No Sato**

The Village Hidden in the eddies was a peaceful village. During the afternoon, several shinobi could be seen milling about in a random fashion. The traders were happily selling their goods to the rich Uzu residents. The village was at the center of many trade routes. Also, it didn't actively participate in any of the Shinobi Wars. The reason was quite simple. The main source of missions for the village shinobi were missions that required their sealing knowledge, which rarely turned violent, and pirate extermination missions. Pirate extermination missions usually didn't bring them at odds with the other villages' shinobi, save for a few missing nin every now and then. They had a clear monopoly over the sea routes and a good relationship with Konohagakure, widely reputed as the strongest of the five. They were also well protected by the natural whirlpools. So it was no surprise that the general atmosphere of the village was cheerful.

Today was another peaceful day for the village and Arashi Uzumaki, the Uzumaki Clan head and leader of the Village hidden in the Eddies, Uzushiogakure. No war, no dying men, no kids being orphaned, no bickering with the elders, and most of all, **no**thrice damn paperwork to be taken care of . Oh yeah, today was a good day to be him. Maybe he could take a little peek at the orange covered book hidden innocently in the drawer? Miki had said that she would be going to meet up for the negotiations didn't she? Ah yes, a liiittle teeny tiny peek certainly wouldn't hu-**AAK!**

Just as the venerable leader's hand was going to make contact, an iron hard fist bopped him in the head, resulting in his head slamming right onto the table. Turning to the face of the culprit, the Uzukage came face to face with the round face of a 7 year old red head, who was glaring daggers at man immediately paled.

'Oh no! Does she know about my precious? No! No way! I gotta make sure that she doesn't tell Miki.'

"A Kushina chan! What is it you're here for?" the man asked, sweating bullets. The girl just huffed.

"I just came to visit you tou chan. Nee chan took my bowl of ramen again!"

'Phew... Thank god for the mercies'

"... Are you sure it wasn't his own bowl Kushina?" inquired the older of the two.

".. Of course Jiji! That was only my third bowl, but nee chan ate it!" came the indignant response of the redhead. The Uzukage just chuckled heartily.

"Kushina don't you remember what mother told you about eating too much? You should let your sister have her share of ramen too She's older than you and hence needs more energy than you, to complete her duties as a ninja. "

"But then why would she let me eat her portion the other times?" '

"Hmm..." The elder crouched down to Kushina's level and ,ruffling her hair, spoke.

"The reason is...", he started in a controversial whisper, "that she loves you too much to let her imouto go hungry to bed."

And it was the truth. Akai Uzumaki was fiercely protective of Kushina, and doted on her every second that she could. She would help Kushina in her training, and on other times, just talk to her. Thus, there was a very special bond between the two.

Suddenly the doors to his office opened, and through them, came a very angry Miki.

Miki Uzumaki was the wife of Arashi Uzumaki, and he current matriarch of the Uzumaki clan. She, like many others of the clan had fiery red hair, which cascaded down her back serenely. She was considered one of the best Sea Masters in the world, bar the Uzukage himself. A gentle soul normally, she had the wrath of a bijuu when someone wronged her or her family.

And judging by her current temper, Arashi could take a guess on what had happened.

"Kushina, please go to the park. I will be there an hour."

Kushina, noticing the tense atmosphere, nodded and scampered off.

Features hardened, he asked,

"What happened during the negotiations Miki?"

Miki, realizing her husband's tone was all business, bowed low and answered, "Mito sama's health is deteriorating. Thus, Konoha wants another Uzumaki to put the beast into, because 'Only an Uzumaki has the power to keep the mass of hate and malice at bay.'". Her tone was becoming heated as she spoke, and turned mocking when she quoted what the Konoha delegation had told her, and Arashi was not having a good feeling about where this was going.

"They said that giving them an Uzumaki is a part of the treaty, and are demanding our daughter for the purpose. They say it's for 'strengthening the alliance'. She would have to marry in that village and any children conceived will have Konohan citizenship." As she spoke, she could clearly see the rage n his eyes.

"Part of the treaty? No, this was not a part of the treaty! We were only to help them subdue the tailed beasts, if one were to attack their village. This will be taken seriously. They should not twist words of their allies! "

"I know Uzukage sama. But they are insistent, and have got the seal of authority of Mito Sama. She, being your aunt and the last of the original main family has higher authority than you on the matters of previous dealings of the clan."

At this, Arashi wearily nodded. He should have known Konoha would exploit such a loophole in the decades old treaty. He was angry that Konoha did not want to make someone of Mito's line the jinchuuriki. They could've easily done so. But it seemed that they wanted a whole Uzumaki clan in Konoha. He had no illusions that once a puppet Uzumaki line was established in Konoha, they would waste no time in asking for Uzumaki secret techniques as their 'rightful inheritance'.

'Using underhanded tactics to secure power for the village, eh Saru? Well two can play this game. '

He turned to his wife. "Miki. Did they specify the age of the child to be made the jinchuuriki?"

"No, but I assume that they would want Kushina, since she can be moulded as a loyal leaf ninja. But..." she trailed off and you could literally see the gears turning in her head.

"So, any ideas, Miki chan?" asked the venerable leader.

"I know you're thinking the same Arashi. I think we should have Akai chan be considered for the jinchuuriki role. Her Uzumaki chakra, seals mastery and chakra chains should be enough to keep the beast at bay. She would also be able to brush off any attempts to change her loyalty to leaf, and would be able t return to Uzu once the 30 year contract is complete. She is mature enough to understand her burden and its importance, and is also one of our strongest ninja, despite her age. She would be perfect for the job. This way, Kushina can have a normal childhood, which is what would be her wish in the first place." Miki trailed off, uncertain, whether she should assume so much about her daughter.

"You are right about Akai being the best for the role. But we'll have to ask her first. This will be a decision that will change her life, so we must first give her enough time. We shall discuss this with her today."

Suddenly, there was a displacement of air, a characteristic of a shunshin, followed by the arrival of Akai, their eldest daughter. She was a 12 year old, with violet eyes, and a lithe figure. Unlike her mother, she had brown, cropped hair, with one bang covering her eye. She was wearing a black shinobi outfit, and tied around her hand was the Uzu forehead protector. Akai Uzumaki was considered a once in a generation prodigy, and had already become a chuunin and a seal master at the tender age of nine. Her parents couldn't be more proud of her. She was a strong ninja, a doting sister and a loving daughter. She was also polite and curt, which couldn't be said for many others of their clan.

But she had a trait that was seen in nearly every Uzumaki. She would stop at nothing to make her loved ones were happy.

So it didn't come off as a surprise when she spoke the next two words; "**I accept "**

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**A/N- So, how was it. It is kind of the divergence point from canon. We were never told of the Uzumaki family, so I had her have a sis. It's logical if you are a clan head, to have a "spare" in case the heir dies. Not that their father sees this as such.J**

**Please tell me if I did something wrong. If you flame, please note the reason of flaming..Next chapter, Disaster strikes!**

**Till then,**

**Santé!**

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**_Q.)_****Why did Arashi accept the treaty terms?**

a.) There's not much he can do to nullify it except breaking the alliance. Also Mito had more seniority than him in these matters because she is a direct descendant of the main family and he was her nephew. So the old clan matters concerning her are her domain

**Q.)Why did Akai consent to go to Konoha so easily?**

**A.)**She is sharp and knew that if it was not her, then Kushina would be sent. And she loves the kid. So she, not seeing a way out, accepted her fate.

**Update: Smoothed over the edges, removed the preview. Sorry for the inconvenience**


	2. Everything falls apart

**Hyoton no Naruto**

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**_Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto and his associates, if any_****.**

Hey there, readers. I am quite happy with the response I got for the last chapter. As such the previous chapter and one or two more will lay the groundwork for this story. I read and realised that in most of the fics, where Naruto is born in another village, Kushina's or the parent's back story is not given. I plan on rectifying that.

So without further delay, I present to you, Hyoton no Naruto, chapter deux.

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**Update: 30th October 2014- I revised this chapter quite thoroughly. By the suggestion of my friend, igornerd, I have expanded the invasion. Not by much, but enough to make things clear. The end result of the invasion is the same. I have written the next chapter, but I will only post it once I've proof read it. Sorry for the inconvinience.****  
**

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**Chapter 2: Everything falls apart.**

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**Previously, in Hyoton no Naruto**

_There was a sudden displacement of air, a characteristic of shunshin, followed by the arrival of Akai, their eldest daughter. She was a 12 year old, with violet eyes, and a lithe figure. Unlike her mother, she had brown, cropped hair, with one bang covering her eye. She was wearing a black shinobi outfit, and tied around her hand was the Uzu forehead protector. Akai Uzumaki was considered a once in a generation prodigy, and had already become a chuunin and a seal master at the tender age of nine. Her parents couldn't be more proud of her. She was a strong ninja, a doting sister and a loving daughter. She was also polite and curt, which couldn't be said for many others of their clan._

_So it didn't come off as a surprise when she spoke the next two words; **"I accept"**_

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**Current time,**

**Uzushiogakure No Sato.**

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Pride.

This is what her parents felt.

Pride tinged with sadness.

Why'd it have to be them, making sacrifices for the sake of the village?

Why did Akai have to be so selfless? Did she not want to live a life filled with happiness? Even when they were going to propose this option to her, it wrenched their hearts that the two words that came off their daughter's mouth would separate her from their family.

Being the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi meant that she would be watched at all times by the Konoha military. They would not be able to meet her much due to Konoha's valid concern of having their jinchuuriki morally swayed.

They were sure that Akai too, knew those things. Then _why_ would she be so easygoing on this matter?

Their unspoken question was answered by Akai herself.

"_For Kushina."_

They were two words. But all present in the room knew the weight they carried. Akai loved her sister too much for her to simply let Kushina become the Jinchuuriki, _the Human Sacrifice._ She was not naive. She knew the lives the jinchuuriki led. Hated for the deeds of the demons they held back. Carrying the burden of thousands of deaths, for years. Doomed to lead their lives in solitude. She did not want this fate for her little Imouto.

Her parents reluctantly nodded their heads, appreciating her thoughts, if not exactly liking it.

Any further conversation was halted, as suddenly, the doors burst open, and in came a red streak, bounding across the room, straight to a surprised Akai, who had only enough time to wrap her arms around the bubbly 7 year old.

"Nee chan!, Tou chan!, See what Shigu-chan got me! A real kunai-ttebane!" the ecstatic red head told her elder sister while wildly waving the kunai in the air. An action that finally caused the gathered adults to finally break out of their stupors.

Arashi immediately blanched when he saw the kunai in Kushina's hand at an uncomfortable distance from her shoulder. He was going to speak when a stern voice cut him off.

"Put that kunai down, now Kushina!" Akai demanded harshly. Hearing her sister talk in that tone, Kushina hung her head down in shame, tears prickling her eyes.

Akai now felt a little bad. It was not as if she had wanted to hurt her little sister. She ad just seen Kushina in Danger and reacted. Well at least she wasn't hurt. That kunai, a masterpiece from the Higurashi clan, a clan specializing in forging weapons, and known for producing extraordinary weapon specialists, could kill Kushina in a second if she was not careful.

'Why did they even give it to her!?' she furiously thought.

She couldn't believe how a person could be so reckless with weapons!

She looked around her room, noting absently the haggard secretary who was trying to apologize to tou san, and finally landed on the chucking form f her mother, the somberness all but forgotten.

'That _is _why I love you so Kushina. Always making others happy with your actions. Even unknowingly.' she thought fondly.

Akai knelt down to her sister and fondly ruffled her hair. "Ne, Kushina chan, let's talk about this at home, over a cup of ramen. Do we have a deal?" she asked kindly.

You could've never seen something moved so fast. "DEAL!" .And with that Kushina left the room, leaving two adults and a teen, giggling at their princess's antics.

"I sometimes feel like I'm manipulating her, using ramen like that." Akai murmured.

"Ah no need Akai!", the Uzukage said, walking out of the room ,now that all matters had been discussed. "After all this runs in the blood, and you at least only do that to Kushina!" he said, mumbling the last words.

Akai was confused. Until she remembered how her mother had often offered her yakisoba, whenever she did something she asked.

The villagers ignored the cry of indignation coming from the Uzukage's office.

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**Evening, The Uzumaki Head Family mansion**

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The Uzumaki Clan Head's mansion was not at all what one would expect a man of such stature to have. It was a modest home, with two floors, enclosed within medium height walls, which had their surfaces filled to the brim with security seals. The hose was also guarded by an ever present force of 5 shinobi. They were also called the Whirlpool guardians.

The hose itself was painted in a pristine white, with various walls adorned with the stylized versions of Uzumaki Spirals. There were 4 bedrooms, a living room and a spacious and well equipped dojo. Though the dojo was used more for practicing sealing than sparring.

Let's just say that it gets messy when you can form appendage-like golden chains while trying to practice Uzumaki taijutsu, which uses the chakra draining constructs, liberally.

In one of these rooms, we see a bob of red hair, fiercely snuggling in to a girl with brown hair. Akai.

"Why nee chan! Why do you have to go! I won't have anyone to play with! Please, don't go! At least come back if you do! Yu promised not to leave us alone-ttebane!" By the end of her tirade, tears were freely flowing out of Kushina's eyes. Se could_ not _believe this. Things had been so good mere moment ago. Then her sister had told her.

Told her that she was leaving the village, and most likely wouldn't come back again.

And she _could not come with her!_

_"_I am sorry Kushina chan. But this mission is very important for both the villages. And only I can do it."

'Except you. But you don't need to know that.'

That did little to placate the emotional 7 year old. Sighing, she kneeled down and wrapped her hands around her sister's small form. She then quietly asked, "Will you do something for me Kushina?". This surprised Kushina. Her nee chan always gave. She had never asked her for something. In her dazed state, she could only nod dumbly, getting an approving smile for her efforts.

Huh...Her nee chan could see right through her. Couldn't she?

Seeing her sister's smile widening only confirmed her theory. But it quickly turned serious again.

"Promise me, Kushina. Promise me that you'll always fight to protect your family, your friends. Always listen to what your heart says is right. Remember, the greatest authority, too, can be at folly.. And become strong to protect, not to destroy"

"But I don't understand, nee chan. Isn't it basically the same thing? If I am a super cool and powerful ninja like you, can't I do both of these things? And what should I strive to protect?" the redhead inquired.

Giggling at the praise, Akai quickly soothed, "No Kushina.. just remember my words.. Right now, you're too small to understand my words. But one day you will. The answer will come to you, if you keep searching for it.", and with that she stood up, ruffled her cute imouto's hair and quickly left via shunshin, leaving behind an indignant redhead.

When Kushina was sure that her sister was not there, Kushina quickly bowed.

'I thank you for all the love you've given me, onee chan. I, too will always love you, regardless of how far apart we are.'

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That night, the Uzumaki family had a huge feast (ramen included, of course) ,prepared for what was supposed to be a family dinner. Unsurprisingly, most of it was food that the older sister liked. Wanting to do have as many fond memories with their daughter before she was sent off to Konoha, Arashi and Miki had decided to let the two sisters do all they wanted to. This, despite Akai's abundant patience (for an Uzumaki), turned into a tickling contest, and then, a game of who had had the most embarrassing accident on a mission. Raucous laughter could be heard till late hours from the main house, all over the island village.

The morning of departure saw teary faces of Miki, Kushina, and surprisingly, Arashi. They all said their goodbyes, and a few choice words to Akai.

Finally, when Kushina was going to bid her sister farewell, her sister knelt down and placed a kiss on her forehead, mumbling "Remember what I said Imouto.. And also that I love you..", with that, she spread her arms for a hug, which, was joined in by the rest of the family.

_"Good bye, nee chan..."_

Then, Akai set off with her escorts towards Konoha, to be made the new Kyuubi jinchuuriki.

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**Six years later,**

**Uzushiogakure no Sato**

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It was a pleasant day as any in the island village. The birds were chirping, and it was another peaceful day for the villagers under the protection of the island dwelling ninjas.

Suddenly, a commotion was heard in the street. Curiously, no one seemed to pay it even a little mind, like it was just as part of their lives as walking or running.

It was.

A red hared girl, dressed in a yellow (yellow!) shinobi outfit, complete with mesh shirt underneath, complete with black arm guard, was chasing after a black haired girl, wearing a pink variation of the same outfit. Any person knowledgeable in Uzu's prominent clans would quickly identify them as Kushina Uzumaki, Heiress of the Uzumaki clan and Shigure Higurashi, heiress of the Higurashi clan, two of the most powerful clans in were both genin for over 3 months now, and were both considered as prodigies in every sense of the word. But neither of them cared for that title. They had their own goals to fulfil. Goals which required them to dedicate every ounce of their time to it. They were expected to be courteous to others and behave in a manner appropriate for the heiresses of the two prestigious clans.

But what the two were doing currently was far from being appropriate for their station.

The two were, as always running bout i the streets of Uzu. Well, Shigure was running (not fleeing damn it!) from the red haired demon her friend had become after she spilled her ramen (accidentally of course!) .

She did it every day. And this had nothing to do with training her evasion skills.. So here she was, running around the town, evading sharp, pointy objects thrown by her best friend. She absently noted that her friend's skills with weapons increased when fuelled by her righteous, ramen induced fury.

After a few minutes of evading, and running for dear life, Shigure was finally exhausted. Luckily, for Shigure, Kushina had never been one to hold her temper for long.

So, when she finally caught up, she was not in what Shigure dubbed as the 'demon mode'.

Shigure glanced at her friend. Uzumaki vitality or not, she was definitely tired. Her cheeks were red from the exertion and, her red tresses were drenched in sweat. She herself was in worse shape than the redhead. In fact, she was panting.

The two walked in companionable silence, and it was, surprisingly, Shigure who tried to break it.

"I think we went for too ... long this time.", she ventured.

The redhead just huffed, took on a pensive expression as if considering something and then , reaching a conclusion for her thought, sighed.

Her friend was just too easy to read sometimes.

"You should not have spilled the ramen to get me to play tag. You could just ask me to do it. We are friends-ttebane" Kushina exclaimed heatedly. But Shigure, being her friend for as long as she had, discovered the uncertain tone her voice had taken towards the end.

It was no secret that Kushina had been sad when her sister had left.

Very sad, in fact.

She had stopped meeting her friends or family members, and this had caused a rift. Many children had thought that Kushina thought them as lower than her, and hence didn't want to talk to them. This rumour spread and by the end of that year, when Kushina had regained her bearings, only a handful of her previously large group of friends even talked to her. Shigure was one of them.

Hence, she had a underlying fear that Shigure, too would leave her.

Shigure shook her head. "Of course, Tomato!"

The brightening face of Kushina, immediately turned red with anger.

Making her look like a tomato.

Shigure quickly whipped out a mirror from...somewhere,

"See?" Shigure's lips twitched when Kushina pouted. Relishing her momentary victory.

"Come on Kushina, let us go to the ra="

Anything she had to say was cut off when an explosion rang out from the Uzukage tower.

Both their faces paled.

"TOU CHAN!" Kushina shouted, and began sprinting towards the Uzukage tower. Suddenly explosions started rocking the entire village. They could see the burning buildings. The smell of burnt flesh plagued the air. Even many shinobi were caught unawares by the sudden assault, and many were killed as a result. Kunai rained down from the sky, thrown by lightly armoured ninjas, _flying ninjas_. Many were caught flat footed, and in their surprise, fell in the most mundane of ways. The redhead didn't dare look up from the ground, while running, afraid of what she would see.

There was a low, rumbling voice. When she looked up, her eyes, along with everyone's i the vicinity, went wide with fear.

A flying machine, with what seemed to be a village atop it, appeared on the horizon, charging what seemed to be purple cannon. Suddenly, it fired the wall towards the east side of the village.

There were mouths carved on the front of the grey coloured ship. That was when she spotted them.

Hundreds of the same flying ninja were jumping off from the ship with golden flying devices on their back and kunai launchers in their hands.

The enemy had brought in reinforcements. The Uzu shinobi wasted no time in moulding chakra and firing jutsu at the ship. Collaboration techniques, Kinjutsus, Kunai tagged with explosive notes , hundreds of golden chains went flying at the ship.

The ship didn't even get a scratch. 'It is as if...'

Kushina's thoughts were interrupted by the loud voice of a Jounin.

"The ship has got chakra absorbing seals. Long ranged Justus will not work, all ninjas who have flying summons, report to Jounin Taichou! He will decide what we have to do!"

The previously faltering men all obeyed, willing to obey their superior.

They all started falling back, forming small groups to watch each other's backs.

Then, there was a tingling in her mind, as if someone had intruded in. She was startled when she heard the voice of the Jounin Taichou in her head.

'All genin, evacuate the civilians, lead them to the safety shelter! Barrier tut up barriers around the red zones. All chuunin and jounin make groups of five and spread out. Don't make big groups. All squads should have at least one long range fighter. Uzukage sama with us on the battle field. He has ordered us to their wings like the flies they are! Will you follow his words!?' The thousands of 'hai's and battle cries ringing across the battle field were confirmation enough.

Kushina now had no doubt that they would win this. At least until the mouths on the ship slowly started opening, and from inside, a long cannon came out, pointing towards the military district.

A narrow, but powerful beam was fired.

It hit the various unprotected buildings and sky scrapers with a resounding **BOOM**...Several such cannons were fired, hitting may other parts of the village. The village was now burning, bodies of ninja and civilians alike littering the cratered landscape..

Chaos descended on the battlefield again She wasted no time in commencing the extraction of the remaining civilians. Many of her peers and surprisingly a few jounin clones doing the same.

They led the civilians down a path towards the shelters hidden in the steep hill. Suddenly a loud reverberation sounded throughout the village, forcing them to close their eyes.

They turned to see what it was that had caused this, but then, they found a scene from their worst nightmares. A beam had impacted the second most important building in Uzu. The centre of shinobi operations. The impact sent a large shockwave rippling through the village, bringing with it, dust and debris.

Kushina had to apply chakra to her soles so that she would not be blown off. When the dust cleared; a most horrific site awaited them. There was nothing left of what was once the base of military operations in the village. Despair started gnawing in her heart. Abruptly, her eyes widened. As the ground where the remains of the building lay, stood the base once again, in all its glory. It's walls seemingly tinted purple.

'A Protection barrier coupled with an illusion barrier', her mind supplied immediately.

Then her eyes rested on two figures. She immediately recognized them, despite the distance they were at. She could also hear their muffled voices over the shouts of agony resounding in the village.

"You betrayed our trust, shinobi san. We allowed your sky ships in our island, and you used that opportunity for attacking us? You have betrayed the deal we had. Uzushiogakure will not forget this. . .This. You must get ready to pay the consequences for your actions.", the singed Uzukage said, his voice calm, yet portraying his thinly veiled fury, to the mysterious man. She had never seen her father so furious. It seemed as if a demon had appeared behind her fath- **no, the Uzukage.** And if the expression on Miki's face was any indication, she was feeling the same, cold fury.

They had put up a barrier so that their battle wouldn't harm their own.

In spite of herself, Kushina cringed. The man was going to be in a _lot _of pain. That was for sure.

She had no time to think though, as she ducked to dodge a kunai strike that would have take her head clean off. Manoeuvring herself, using her small body, to kill the ma-**THUNK!-**or to see the man fall down in a heap. He was wearing light blue padded jacket.

She raised her eyebrows to Shigure, who was still in the process of retracting he outstretched arm, all she got in return was a blank stare...

Huh..She should help her in her social life. Not that she had any right to it , what with all her friends long gone.

She dodged another kunai. Three enemy ninjas were targeting her, probably trying to use her as a leverage against her father. They must have been hoping for a quick victory.

Kushina smirked. Big. Mistake.

As soon as the first ninja came close to her, three golden chains popped up from the ground and skewered him. The redhead sighed. She had hoped that they would all come together so that she could end them in one fell swoop.

She and Shigure shared a glance. Being her friend so long, she knew her friend's techniques inside out.

Shigure unsealed a katana, and dashed toward the enemy nin. The sky shinobi, thinking she was just another kid in over her head, lazily brought up a kunai to block the strike.

Unfortunately for him, she had coated her blade with a thin layer of wind chakra. The blade sliced through the kunai and cleanly bisected his chest. Shigure paid no mind to the blood pooling on her feet. She turned to gaze at the man's partner, who was literally frothing through his mouth in anger.

"Y-You Bitch! I will kill you!" raising his hands, to form hand seals, he was stopped when a golden chain wrapped around his arms, draining his chakra. In seconds, the chakra deprived shinobi fell to the ground like a puppet with his strings cut. The two girls wasted no time in piercing his heart with their weapons.

Kushina turned around to see her vill-no, battlefield. She saw many ninjas wearing the same uniform as the ones that had tried to kill her, combating against the Uzu shinobi. Assessing the damage, she was depressed to see over 3/4th of the village destroyed. Most of the shinobi she knew were already dead in the surprise attack and the rest were fighting a losing battle against the mysterious ninjas. They had to divide their attention between dealing with the threats and safely escorting the civilians to safe houses.

The invading shinobi were also being helped by their flying comrade. When a sky shinobi was surrounded, his comrades' would fire kunai from their launchers at the offending ninja. It was only through the liberal use of the vast reserves the Uzumaki shinobi had that Uzu was even holding up.

She turned towards her parents hoping for some reassurance. What she saw shocked her.

Her mother had a fist sized hole through her shoulder, lying on the ground, dying, and her father was holding the muscular man by his shoulders. You did not have to be a genius to know that he had used the Shiki Fuuin to permanently deal with the threat to his people.

As if sensing her gaze on them, he turned, smiling thinly in her direction and beckoned her over. She wasted no time in doing just that.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes seeing her parents' blood soaked forms. But she daren't do so, for she didn't want to sully their sacrifices by crying. She should be proud of them, and she definitely was.

So why was this ache in her chest threatening to tear her heart out?

"Come...H-here Kushi-na..."

She was broken out of her stupor by the low, raspy voice of her father.

His voice cracked like someone had ripped out his soul.

"This can't be happening; I still want to be with you and mother tou chan...Nee chan will be back in few years, then we can be a big, happy family again.. don't leave me like nee chan, please." she pleaded, and it broke his heart that she was going t go through another heartbreak again. He could only hope that she could forgive him for what he was going to do.

But first things first.

"K-Kushina..." he managed, straining for every word, "Y-Your mother, she asked me to give you this"; he spoke, clearly strained, holding out a light green crystal, glinting when sunlight fell upon it.

"This belonged to your mother and grandmother both, Kushina. Always wear it as a sign of your family's leg-", he trailed of, coughing blood. Kushina, for her part was feeling intense sorrow for her loss and hatred for the people who did this to them...

"Kushina ... When you a-arrive at the safe h-house, s-stay there. The survivor Nin will find you", with that he hugged his daughter; she hugged her father back, absently noticing how his shoulders sagged in relief at the contact.

But she didn't care. She just wanted to keep hugging her father for eternity, be lost in the warmth and protection his body provided.

So lost in her thoughts she was that she didn't even hear her father mutter the word **"Uzu tereporto"**

With a bright flash, Kushina Uzumaki disappeared from her spot, to reappear in a safe house on the outskirts of Mizu no Kuni.

And Arashi Uzumaki, 3rd Uzukage of Uzushiogakure no Sato died with a smile on his face, by his wife's side.

* * *

**Uzumaki Safe house- Outskirts of Mizu no Kuni**

* * *

Kushina felt very disoriented by the sudden change in surroundings.

'Did tou chan know space time ninjutsu?' .Kushina knew they were very difficult to master. To use one on her when his soul had been ripped out meant that her father truly was a master of space time jutsu.

In her exhausted state, she couldn't stay awake for long and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

**Next day**

* * *

The next- morning? , it was difficult to say with only artificial light seals keeping the room illuminated- Kushina woke up groggily. Wiping her eyes of dried of tears, she unconsciously gripped her pendant. She was reminded of how her life had taken a turn for worse in 24 hrs. She had lost her mother, father, village and countless comrades. Maybe Shigure too? No...No use dwelling upon it.

She remembered how her father had called the man a traitor, a former ally. There was only one ally she knew of, which was so close to Uzushiogakure that they could afford lowering their defences for.

So had Konoha betrayed Uzu? She couldn't be sure. There could be an Uzu ally that she didn't know of.

But the nagging sensation was definitely there. But there was no reason for Konoha to harm Uzu. She knew her nee chan would not let something like this happen. But her father had said something about Konoha wanting Uzumaki in their ranks. So was this all a deliberate plan to show them that they couldn't defend themselves and offer them sanctuary?

If so, then the survivors were definitely in danger, and may come here beaten up.

She stood up and steeled herself. The least she could do in the fallen comrades' memory was to prepare the safe house for their eventual arrival.

Nodding to herself, she set to work.

* * *

**A few weeks later**

* * *

4 weeks. This had been the time elapsed after the fall of Uzu. Still, there was no sign of surviving nin. Her mind was conjuring up the many ways her comrades could have ended up dead. Each thought more gruesome than the last.

Tired of waiting in the safe house, she decided to head out and get some information. Tying the most identifying part of her body, her red hair, in a bandanna, she set out to gather some information.

She saw two people discussing something in hushed tones. Silently wiling her chakra to her ears, she tried to listen in on the conversation the two were having.

She wished she hadn't.

One of the men had said it, but the jounin chakra reserves of the men were enough to tell him this was not just gossip.

**Uzushiogakure had been wiped off the face of the Elemental Nations.**

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was a monster (for me at least)**

**Please do tell me if I made some mistakes somewhere. I am still very new at this what makes a fic good. I just wrote all of this by imagining myself in the place of whatever character I am writing about.**

**Thank you _Anony-mouse_, I'm _a fire truck,Radeon D'jambak, RoyaN G J, T96, The High Demon Lord, super-anime-fan-23, _and_ waitinggamer_ for the follows.** And **_anarion87, Radeon D'jambak, I'm a fire truck_ for the favourites and anarion87 and AlexDnD for the reviews. It really means a lot to me.**

**Kushina is having doubts regarding Konoha. Having experienced the consequences of the betrayal of trust, will she able to trust again?**

**And having all her loved ones taken away from her, will she be able to find love again?**

**All this and more- in the next chapter of Hyoton no Naruto!**

**Sante !**

* * *

**Q.) Why did Uzu fall so easily?**

**A.)** Easy really. These were sky ninjas, if you didn't catch my reference.. Conventional wars were fought on land. Uzukage thought they were allies, so as show of trust, dropped the barriers protecting much of the village. Then someone blew the Uzukage tower up, which led to confusion within the ranks. Then they tried blowing up the command centre while bombing the village. Miki was at the command centre and was able to just activate the barriers in time. The rest were not as skilled as her, and could not save themselves in time. Then ninjas were killed wholesale initially and they couldn't hit the airship. Then the sky ninja came in to finish the job. This also gives Konoha a reason to wipe out sky.

**Q.) Why is Kushina suspecting Konoha?**

**A.) **She is 12 y/o. Lost all she had, sitting alone in a safe house, with no outside view. I think her imagination would definitely run rampant. Don't worry she will not be like "I'll burn Konoha to the ground". More like I don't want to be near the village, even my sister is inside the village... How else could I believably make her go to Kiri?

Got it? un!

**Q.)What about the Uzu shinobi who survived?**

**A.) **Stayed in the village to find civilian survivors and hold off Sky Nin. Sky shinobi bombed Uzu, most of them died. Some lived but scattered to parts unknown.

Kushina would've died too, if Arashi hadn't teleported her.

* * *

**Preview of chapter 3-**

_Pain._

_That is what Kushina felt while trying to outrun her pursuers._

_Stupid! Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! How could she have let her guard down!. Her bandanna had slipped off, showing the world the fiery red hair of the Uzumaki clan. She had quickly covered it up again. Unfortunately for her, a few missing nin had seen the slip u and were now chasing after her, hoping for a bounty in exchange of an Uzumaki._

_She gripped her pendent hard, tears spilling forth. In her distressed state, she unconsciously bled chakra to the stone. Suddenly, the world went black. When she woke up, it was to a face she had not seen for two long months._

_"Hello Kushina chan"_

_Standing in front of her, was..._

_"K-Kaa chan..."_

_Miki Uzumaki._

* * *

**Jutsu**

* * *

**Shiki Fuujin- Dead demon consuming seal.**

**Uzumaki seal capable of summoning death god. He can seal enemy's soul.**

**Cost for using the jutsu- User's soul is taken by death god too.**

**Uzu tereporto (original)- whirlpool teleportation**

**Transports whatever user will in a bright flash to a predetermined location. Takes time. Not viable during combat.**

* * *

**Story recommendations**

**One Big Uzumaki Family by John Smith: **A set of drabbles revolving around Naruto, Sakura, and their children. It turns out that, when the war ends, these two get busy. Real busy. Post war.

The story is quite fun to read. And the antics of the members of the really...I mean it... Really big Uzumaki family never fail to amuse.


	3. Start of a new life( The second life)

**Hyoton no Naruto**

* * *

**_Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto and his associates, if any_****.**

* * *

Salut! Readers. I thank you for guys for the awesome response. The poll for the Q/A section is still open for three days. Please vote your choice.

Thank you **Bojack2011 ,Diresituation,Burn Shadow,Flash almighty,Gemini-Spark,John Smith,FuujinNoKitsune,NIGHTANGEL21,NPredator16, ,caablacklight, hardj053 , ,silly60 ,war sage ,wolfmoon30,godofwrath1, for th favs,**

**montana15,Guest,RandalNubs,John Smith,MrGoodyTwoShoes for the reviews. And last but not the least everyone who followed. You guys rock!**

So, without further ado, onto chapter trois, of Hyoton no Naruto!

* * *

_"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice."_

_-Robert Frost_

* * *

**Chapter 3: The second life.**

* * *

**Previously, in Hyoton no Naruto**

_She saw two people discussing something in hushed tones. Silently wiling her chakra to her ears, she tried to listen in on the conversation the two were having._

_She wished she hadn't._

_One of the men had said it, but the jounin chakra reserves of the men were enough to tell him this was not just gossip._

**_Uzushiogakure had been wiped off the face of the Elemental Nations._**

* * *

**Current time.**

**Uzumaki Safe house, outskirts of Mizu no Kuni.**

* * *

Despair, pain, loneliness. These were the feelings Kushina was currently having. The subtle feeling of dread slowly but surely gripping her heart.

It had been a week since she had heard the two men talking.

At first, she had refused to believe it. But now, after 7 days and still no sign of survivors, she had begun losing hope.

The Uzumaki clan was a close knit group. So it was natural that they would want to be kept informed of the status of their loved ones who had gone to perform dangerous missions. Hence, the Uzumaki, with their sealing prowess had devised a seal which could be used to determine a loved one's status. The seal was a work of art, but for a clan who had designed jutsu that could summon Shinigami himself, designing a non-combat seal like it was akin to making a storage scroll for a normal ninja.

After a clan shinobi had performed and completed the coming of age ceremony, they were allowed to write their name in the scroll containing the seal. Their name was written in blood, not unlike what was done in the summoning contract. When the shinobi died, their name on the scroll blackened.

Its only apparent use was to determine if a person was dead or not. The seal was particularly useful during the clan wars era, where the risk of running into an opposing faction was exponentially higher. There was a scroll kept in every safe house of the clan, and the names were automatically updated on all scrolls once something was changed in the original scroll. Right now, all of this didn't matter to the little redhead. She was just looking for a rope to cling on too to prevent her from falling into despair.

She spied the scroll on top of the shelves. Quickly forming a gold chain, she whisked the scroll from its spot. Setting it in front of her, she bit her thumb, and swiped the blood over the swirl shaped security seal. The seal glowed and promptly opened. She shakily unfurled the scroll, hoping against all hope that she would find some familiar named written in red.

What she saw made her lose all hope.

All names on the scroll, except hers and her sister's were blackened.

She was one of the last Uzumaki alive.

The revelation brought forth a new wave of guilt and tears in the 12 year old.

That night, sounds of her crying filled the safe house.

* * *

**Next Day**

* * *

Kushina woke up with a groan. She did not want to move. Wanted to lay there unblinking, staring at the roof. She felt utterly, completely devastated... . Mostly everyone she knew, had died. Her village, the place she had grown up in, destroyed. What was the need to anything now. She had been weak then. Her sister's words echoed in her head

_"__...become strong to protect..."_

'I couldn't protect them...' she thought miserably.

She hadn't even considered this possibility of the whole village being destroyed someday. She had, for as long as she knew, been told that the village was impenetrable. She had derived a sense of security from the repeated words. Then, there was also pride that her parent were the ones to whom everyone looked for protection.

Deciding to stop dwelling in her misery, she decided to go into the village. She still had not got her food, and the food in the safe house had been spoilt when she had carelessly left the doors to the pantry opened. She needed to get something to eat first.

Deciding on her plan of action for now, she squared her shoulders and set out.

* * *

**Few days later.**

**Asahi Village, Mizu no Kuni**

* * *

It had been a week since the revelation. She had decided long before that going to Konoha was not an option. She still hadn't ruled out the possibility of their involvement in the attack on Uzu. Even though she had heard that the attackers were of Sky Country and had been wiped out by Konoha in retaliation, her theory about the attack being staged by Konoha to acquire more Uzumaki in their ranks made much more sense to her. So, even with her nee chan living in Konoha, she decided it would be better for the two of them would be better off living separately.

No matter what her heart ached, she was not going to cave in to its demands.

She had taken to wearing a grey bandanna over her head to cover her distinct red hair. The redhead also did odd jobs like repairing fences and the like for money. Money, which she needed to buy food.

Food, meaning ramen.

Hey! Going through a difficult phase in life didn't mean she couldn't eat ramen!

But right now, all of this didn't mean anything right now.

Because she was running away from five greedy missing nin.

The chase had already lasted for about an hour and the rogue ninjas were showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. It was only through her experience in weaving through throngs of people while chasing Shigure that she was even keeping up.

At some point her s sandals had given out. Now, her feet were burning with searing pain.

Stupid! Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! How could she have let her guard down!. Her bandanna had slipped off, showing the world the fiery red hair of the Uzumaki clan. She had quickly covered it up again. Unfortunately for her, a few missing nin had seen the slip up and were now chasing after her, hoping for a bounty in exchange of an Uzumaki.

She gripped her pendant hard, tears spilling forth. In her distressed state, she unconsciously bled chakra to the stone. Suddenly, the world went black.

Groggily, woke up in a green meadow with a sun ray falling on her mid- section. She lift her head to take more note of her surroundings. When she did, she had to blink and pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. For in front her was a face she had not seen for two long months.

"Hello Kushina chan"

Standing in front of her, was...

"K-Kaa chan..."

Miki Uzumaki. Her beloved mother. Who was dead.

Bewildered, and a little scared, she hesitantly asked with a shaky voice.

"B-But I thought you had died..."

"That I did!" Miki responded cheerfully, thoroughly confusing the 12 year old.

"So you're really my Kaa chan?" Miki nodded slowly, unsure of what her daughter was thinking.

Her daughter started rising. "Kushina what are yo-oof!" any further words were cut off as the redhead felt her daughter tightly hugging her mid section.

Miki ran a hand through her daughter's long tresses, and patter her back slowly. Judging by the easing of Kushina's muscles, it seemed to have worked.

"K-Kaa chan... I thought I would never be able to see you again. "

"Oh? But you did ne Kushina chan?"

She directed a playful gaze towards her little tomato. (Not that she'd tell her)

"B-But how? How can I see you if you are dead?"

"Because of me", a heavier, definitely male voice, called out from behind her.

She turned around to see her father standing with his hands on his hips. "No love for me Kushina?" the former Uzukage inquired with a subtle quirk of his eyebrows and a fake pout.

Shaking her head and blinking her eyes clear of all the tears, she quickly ran up to him and pulled him into a hug, her mother following soon after.

In the warm embrace of her parents, Kushina's hastily erected barriers came crashing down.

"Why did you two have to die Kaa chan, tou chan? Haven't I already lost enough!? Akai nee chan left me, and then you too... It's like I'm not meant to be loved... All my loved ones are taken away from me..."

Her parents patted her head softly. Miki quietly whispered in a soothing voice, "I know you missed us, Kushina and we are really, really sorry that we left you alone like that."

Continuing where Miki left off , Arashi put in his two cents. "What's done is done..You can't keep living in the past, Kushina. Seeing your body, I can only guess how hard life has gotten for you. All because of our fault. But making something of it or staying down will be solely your choice. You were one of the most promising genin of our village. Don't lose your chance at happiness because of our mistake. Become strong Kushina, and remember ..."

At his point, both Arashi and Miki had started glowing. Speaking together, they both gave their daughter their final advice "_The true power of an Uzumaki comes from the desire to protect. Live, love, and cherish what you have. Live like a true Uzumaki_, _dear Kushi_"

With these final words, the parents dispersed in a glitter of particles, never to be seen again.

Barely audible, Kushina whispered "I will, tou-chan; Kaa chan"

The scenery slowly changed back to that of the forest she was running in. Resolve hardened and vigour renewed, she decided on a new course of action. Turning sharply, she landed in a meadow, and quickly started blurring through hand signs, completing her jutsu just in time, for four figures jumped towards her from the canopies-

"**Fuuton: Daitoppa no Jutsu**!"

-only to be pushed back when furious gales pushed against them.

The Fifth Nin, who had been lying In wait for an opening, quickly used the cover provided by the fuuton jutsu to launch a surprise attack on the little girl that they had foolishly underestimated. His blow was surprisingly parried by a golden chakra chain writhing out of the girl's palm.

"Impressive for a little runt, aren't ya!?" the man sneered, going through hand signs. Kushina blurred through her own, both finishing at the same time.

"**Suiton: Mizurappa**"

"**Suiton: Teppodama**!"

To the man's immense displeasure, and concealed amazement, Kushina's teppodama overpowered his mizurappa, and he just barely dodged it. Kushina didn't relent, however, and threw one of her three kunai, using the spray as a distraction, going through the seals even when it was still in the air.

A loud cry of ' Kunai kage bunshin' was heard, along with a dozen or more pops, and what used to be a single kunai, became twelve. The rogue had no time to ponder the sheer ridiculeness of a 12 year old using so many jutsu in quick succession and still not getting tired.

He was instead turned into a pincushion by her kunai.

"A little child got me eh... I am a fool for having under estimated her." With his dying breath, he noted, with some satisfaction, that she had not managed to win completely unscathed.

Kushina stood, pale faced as she took in the fact that she had just killed a man. She had no time to dwell on her thoughts however, as his comrades started attacking he with renewed energy.

"YOU! I will cut you into little pieces and feed them to my dogs for killing my brother!" one of the rogues yelled and tried to claw her face with feral movements. In his angry haze, he didn't see the golden chain coming at him from the ground in time, and as a result, got skewered.

If the wayward ninjas were mad before, they were truly furious now. Not only had this little runt managed to lead them on a merry chase for the better part of an hour, she had also managed to kill two of their comrades.

Two of them started going through hand signs, while third flipped back. Seeing that their fellow ninja was out of the line of fire, the two executed their attacks.

**"Suiton: Hahonryū! (Water Style: Ripping Torrent)"**

**"Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Style: Earth Flash)!"**

An electrified water wave started coming towards Kushina, who merely anchored herself to the ground with the chakra chains, activating her **Chakra chain barrier. **As soon as she sensed the jutsu ending, she made two Mizu Bunshin, and dashed towards her opponents, trying to slash their throats. It was all for naught, however as the bunshin were quickly dispatched by the wakizashi wielding ninja while the two ninjutsu users rested. Seeing his advantage, the shinobi quickly came at her with the subtlety of a bijuu and began slashing the sword haphazardly. Having spent her childhood with a weapon user had made her pick up some skills in the art of kenjutsu, and she could see that the ninja was self taught. She subtly added some wind chakra to her kunai and feinted towards his left. The ninja, falling to the deception, brought his sword down to block her kunai. She quickly brought up her palm to face his other side and fired a golden chain. The chain passed right through his right lung. He coughed up a glob of blood, and fell forward, dying before he even hit the ground.

The remaining ninjas wasted no time in sending kunai and shuriken her way. She dodged them but noted that she was becoming slower as the fight progressed. Her massive chakra reserves were nearly depleted after using all those jutsu and chakra chains.

The missing nin, too, seemed to have noticed this, and dashed towards her. Kushina was now truly scared. She had only one kunai left and her opponents seemed to have regained their chakra.

'Probably ate soldier pills.' Kushina thought petulantly.

She had never been in a situation like this before. Stranded in a Mizu no Kuni forest, having a death match with some rogue ninjas, who wanted to capture her and sell her to the highest bidder. With no hope for reinforcements.

It was a bad day to be Kushina.

As they reached her, Kushina thought about how disappointed her parents will be if she joined them now.

'At least I'll meet the other again. Then I can ask the old lady to make me some ramen.'

While the redhead was momentarily distracted,, the assassin brought down his blade to end the life of the stubborn girl who had killed three of them. He was stopped however, when three senbon embedded in his hands.

Senbons made of _ice._

Realizing the predicament he was in, he quickly barked "Retreat! Kiri Nin are coming...  
We gotta run before they come at us!"

His partner quickly obeyed, and they shunshined out of the meadow. Just in time for two forms to land in the clearing.

Kushina watched, slack jawed, as one of them froze a corpse, and then, sealed it into a scroll.

Both of them were about her age, with one of them having shark-fin-like light blue hair, and the other having blond haired. Both their faces were pale and pasty due to their near constant exposure to moisture.

The blond one seemed to have finally noted her presence, and quietly walked up to her. Looking her in the eye, he softly asked "Are you alright? The number of missing Nin roaming in these forests has been increasing lately. Do you have any wounds to be taken care of?"

"I think I may have a case of mild chakra depletion." She was careful about not giving away her clan name, but noticing him looking at her hair and giving her an understanding nod, she revised that she didn't need to.

"What is your name? Do you have allegiance to a village?"

"Kushina... Uzumaki. I was an Uzu kunoichi before its destruction."

"My name is Reitoko Yuki. I am sorry for your loss. Sorry for the inconvenience but you will have to come with us to meet our sensei Uzumaki san"

At her rapidly paling visage, he quickly added "We need to confirm your identity, once confirmed you will most probably give a choice to become a part of Mizu Shinobi force or leaving with an escort."

Kushina slowly nodded in assent. Just as she had done so, the pale shark-fin boy from before appeared next to his partner, eying her warily. The blond seemed to have noticed this as he quickly rounded on his partner.

"Ao, be nice. She is Kushina. She means Mizu no harm" At this Ao seemed to have relaxed a little.

"Okay then. Let's take her to Fuguki sensei. He'll know what to do."

'Fuguki... I seem to have heard the name somewhere...'

Suddenly, there was a sound of a body landing behind her back. She turned and saw a big man giving her a wide, toothy grin. His sharp, pointy teeth giving him an even more intimidating appearance.

"Ohayo, Fuguki sensei! We were just gonna come to you."

When Fuguki seemed to be distracted, Kushina quickly noted that Fuguki's most distinctive trait was his fish-like appearance. He had small round eyes and sharp jagged teeth. He had long, orange hair that reached into his back with some pinned up at the top. He also had six green stripes on his face. Attire-wise he wore the standard striped jumpsuit of Kirigakure, a black outfit over it as well as a white cloak/robe over it and Samehada strapped over his shoulder via a large belt decorated by a tassel, betraying his position as a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

"Uzumaki-san here," Pointing at her to emphasize his point, the Kiri genin continued,"seemed to have been ambushed here by the group of missing ninjas we were assigned to take out. She even managed to kill three of her opponents, and was still fighting." At this, the Kushina's face heated up due to the unexpected praise. "And she managed to tire the remaining, so we easily drove them off."

Fuguki let off an appreciative whistle.

"Aren't ya a little strong girl?" Stepping closer to her, intentionally made her look up uncomfortably. He slowly brought out his Samehada. When the sword was near her, it started wriggling.

Kushina involuntarily shuddered, hoping that the Kiri shinobi did not see her moment of weakness. Seeing their smirks, they probably did.

'Just what _is_ that sword?'

Apparently satisfied with the results of what he had just done, the swordsman nodded, and turned towards Kushina with more softened features.

"You really are an Uzumaki. I am sorry to hear about your clan and village." He leaned in closer to her ear "and also sad to hear about your parents."

Backing away, he saw Kushina's gobsmacked expression and laughed.

"I met them when I was a kid. You don't think I would forget how their daughter looked so easily did you? Don't worry. No one will know about your heritage."

Seeing her smile a grateful smile, he nodded.

The two genin, all the while, just dumbly tried to figure out what had happened that had softened up their sensei.

"So, do you want to join Kirigakure? I can take you to the Mizukage if you want."

The redhead thought about her options. She could go to her nee chan but her theory about Konoha being involved and trying to brainwash her stayed her hand. Kumogakure was known for weaponizing their bloodline shinobi, and she had no wish to be turned into a weapon. Iwa was a bitter enemy of Konoha, and by proximity, Uzu, and they would kill her if she got even a mile within their territory, they were going to kill her 'for being a spy'. Kiri was really the best option she had.

Smiling, she nodded in affirmative. The three man cell plus one girl started darting over the mist laden trees towards Kirigakure.

* * *

**Two hours later,**

**Outskirts of Kirigakure no Sato**

* * *

By the time they reached the hidden village, Kushina was on Fuguki's back, who had strapped her in the usual place of Samehada, which he was currently holding in his hands.

"We are finally here!" Reitoko announced cheerfully. The others of the group did not share his cheeriness, already exhausted from the non- stop run.

That included only Ao, by the way.

Kushina had already noticed the dynamics of the Kiri team. Reitoko would be the cheerful and optimistic one and try to lift everyone's mood, and Ao was his perfect counterpart, finding negatives in everything. Fuguki would just mind his own business. Until they got loud, when he would drain their 'extra energy' with Samehada.

Kushina cracked open her eye to take in the view of the village she was going to reside in for the rest of her life.

Kirigakure's architecture was composed of several cylindrical buildings, with the Mizukage's office being the widest and largest. Most of the taller buildings had trees on them. Befitting its name, the village was surrounded by a thick mist, with several mountains in the background.

The people, though, took no notice of the perpetual mist surrounding the village, and went about, doing their activities. The ninjas leaping through the rooftops were also seen as a part of the background. While passing through the streets, she noted that many gave Fuguki respectful nods; probably because of him being one of the seven swordsmen.

They finally arrived at the Mizukage Tower. Fuguki signed something to the guard, to which they quickly nodded and cleared a passage for them. Kushina was by now, walking on her own, and noted, with some awe that the floor was made such that no vibrations were felt.

Fuguki knocked on the Mizukage's door, eliciting a 'Come in'.

Behind an oak desk, sat the Sandaime Mizukage.

The man had darkened sclera, and long, greying hair which was long enough to reach his back with what appears to be pearl-shaped objects forming a circular pattern in his hair. He wore the standard Kirigakure attire complete with pinstriped arm and leg-guards over which he wore a sleeveless haori with ragged ends. He also wore a poncho-like scarf around his neck. At the time of his death, he had aged considerably, with notable creases and visible frown lines around his mouth, and much lighter hair.

Fuguki and the genin bowed before their leader before Fuguki gave the Mizukage their mission report.

The Mizukage read the report Fuguki handed to him, and after a while, quickly gestured the ANBU and the genin to file out of the room.

"So, Uzumaki san here wants to live in Kirigakure?"

The redhead, nervously nodding, quickly replied "Hai"

"And why is that? You can join any other village, so why Kiri?"

Kushina knew he was testing her. And also that if she failed to deliver, she might not even leave the office.

"I want to live in this village ... because it reminds me of home" she answered. It was true too, Kiri reminded her of Uzu's shores and the vast sea she would gaze towards when alone. The people, too reminded her of the Uzu villagers with their fishing-oriented lifestyle.

The Mizukage's eyed her for some time, judging whether she was telling the truth or not. In the end he just nodded.

"Then welcome to Kirigakure. You will have a choice whether to keep your name or not. You will be instated as a genin shinobi according to your skills listed in the report. You will be added to Team Fuguki as they are one member short. You will also be monitored for a period of one month, during which you will be restricted to the civilian areas." Seeing her nervousness increase, he added "Don't worry, this is the standard procedure for a newly instated ninja."

_'Especially with the second shinobi war on the horizon'_

Kushina nodded understandingly. They would not just admit any ninja in their training grounds and other shinobi areas where a spy could steal information on Kiri.

"I am glad you understand. Congratulations on becoming a Kiri shinobi", he said, handing her a Kiri headband "_Genin Kushina Uzumaki_.", he finished with a serene smile.

'Maybe I can still find something worth protecting, something worth_ dying_ for.'

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**A/N- Big chapter. I. just wanted to be done with the grounding chaps**

** As usual keep giving me the love... You know follows, favs and reviews...**

**Review and tell me about anything you liked or disliked... I always love criticism. Help me improve this story.**

**The main story will start from the next chap.**

**Reitoko means freezer btw. (inspiration: DBZ)**

* * *

**Preview**

_"He is such a beautiful baby isn't he?"_

_"Of course. He is your son. And you are beautiful too-ttebane" she said with a giggle._

_"Feeling funny are we to-ma-to-ch-an?" Her lover breathed huskily._

_They slowly inched their mouths towards each other. Just when they were about to make contact,_

_"Waaahh wahhhh"_

_, a baby's wailing interrupted them._

_"I am thinking you do some of this on purpose, neh..._

_...__**Naruto **__chan?"_

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**Jutsu**

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· **Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)**

· This is a relatively simple technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, but its scale varies greatly depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. A variation of the technique involves a smaller blast of wind which gets ignited with flame.

· **Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)**

The Water Release: Wild Water Wave is a basic Water Release technique which has many variations. Water gushes from the user's mouth like a waterfall and washes away the enemy. One can freely control the power of this technique with the amount chakra one releases.

· **Suiton: Teppodama (Water Style: Liquid Bullets)**

The user kneads chakra, and converts it into water, and then spits it out in the form of condensed balls. The high-speed water ball attack possesses just as much power to kill as an actual gunshot. While this is a water release technique, it can still be employed someplace where no water is available, which is a great advantage. It is also possible to increase the power of destruction of the spheres themselves by building up the chakra inside of them. The number of bullets is determined while kneading chakra. By taking advantage of gravity, the bullets can brutally increase in power.

· **Suiton: Hahonryū (Water Style: Ripping Torrent)**

This technique creates water that spirals in the user's hand which fires at a high speed towards the enemy. The overall amount of water formed is large enough to help extinguish even large-scale fire release techniques. In the anime, it was also shown to be able to be conjured from the surrounding area in the form of a torrential wave. It can also be combined with the Wind Release: Rasengan to create the Typhoon Water Vortex Technique.

· **Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Style: Earth Flash)**

This technique allows the user to create a wave of electricity from their hands. The user can vary its power from a small surge to shock an opponent to a powerful stream of lightning capable of ripping through solid rock. It is ideal to use in conjunction with a water technique.

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**Story recommendations**

**Tik Tok ** by **Athrna**

This poem is set during Naruto Shippūden 4: The Lost Tower. A poem where a father addresses his son. It is written in Minato's point of view to reflect on the event of meeting his son, in which he ought not to admit and he must forget.

Deep emotions conveyed by a short poem.

* * *

**Q/A**

**Q.) How did Kushina meet her parents?**

A.) Miki, being the awesome seal mother she was, had already sealed some of her chakra in the pendant to be given to Kushina. She intended it to protect Kushina during times of desperation.

And Arashi, being the awesome father he was, locked away some part of his wife's and his own chakra to the seal. When Kushina bled her chakra, it came in contact with theirs, and hence, she met them. Kinda like the one Minato used but a lot less stable and done with a lot less chakra.


End file.
